Seniority in the United States House of Representatives

Seniority is calculated by:

1. Number of total terms served (subtracting one term from the number of non-consecutive terms)
2. Number of consecutive terms served
3. Alphabetically by last name^[1]

An additional clause applies for representatives that have a prior tenure of less than two terms. In this case, they will have preference over all other members who are freshmen by tenure.^{[citation needed]}

An example of this ranking system is Rep. Pete Sessions, who had previously served eleven terms, from 1997 to 2019; after his defeat in the 2018 midterms, he was once again elected in 2020. Instead of holding seniority with others whose terms began January 3, 2021, he was credited with ten terms, and holds seniority above all representatives whose terms began on or after January 3, 2001.

Committee leadership in the House is often associated with seniority, especially in the Democratic Caucus. The Republican leadership, in comparison with the Democratic Party, prioritizes voting records and campaign fundraising over seniority for committee leadership.^[2] Party leadership in the House is not strictly associated with seniority.

The more senior a representative is, the more likely the representative is to receive desirable committee assignments or leadership posts. Seniority also affects access to more desirable office space in the House Office Buildings:^[3] after an office is vacated, members next in seniority can choose whether to move into it. Only after allocations for existing members are complete can incoming members be assigned offices via the congressional office lottery.^[4]

• California 14: Eric Swalwell (D) resigned on April 14, 2026.^[5] The special election was held on June 16, 2026. A runoff is scheduled on August 18, as no candidate received a majority of the vote.^[6]
• Texas 23: Tony Gonzales (R) resigned on April 14, 2026.^[5] The special election will be held on a date to be determined.
• Florida 20: Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) resigned on April 21, 2026.^[7] The special election will be held on a date to be determined.
• Georgia 13: David Scott (D) died on April 22, 2026.^[8] The special election was held on July 28, 2026. A runoff is scheduled on August 25, as no candidate received a majority of the vote.

Delegates are non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives.

• List of current United States representatives
• List of United States congressional districts
• List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service
• Seniority in the United States Senate